2013 American Gold Eagle
Every version of the 2013 Gold Eagle with mintages, the gold it contains, which versions carry a premium and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 2013
- 1 oz bullion mintage
- 758,500
- Versions
- 9
- Metal
- 22 karat gold (91.67%)
Original illustration of the coin's size and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because metal and coin prices change daily.
What is a 2013 Gold Eagle worth?
The 2013 bullion Gold Eagle is worth its gold content: weight times the day's spot price, plus a modest dealer premium when you buy and less when you sell. Its scarcer versions are different: the 2013 1/2 oz bullion (57,000) rates small premium.
Metal value = troy ounces of gold × the day's spot price. For collector versions, check recent sold results for the same version and grade.
Every 2013 Gold Eagle version
| Version | Mint mark | Size | Mintage | Value band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullion | None | 1 oz ($50) | 758,500 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/2 oz ($25) | 57,000 | Small premium |
| Bullion | None | 1/4 oz ($10) | 114,500 | Metal value |
| Bullion | None | 1/10 oz ($5) | 555,000 | Metal value |
| Proof | See below | 1 oz ($50) | 24,710 | Small premium |
| Uncirculated (burnished) | "W" | 1 oz ($50) | 7,293 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/2 oz ($25) | 12,718 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/4 oz ($10) | 12,789 | Small premium |
| Proof | See below | 1/10 oz ($5) | 21,742 | Small premium |
There are nine 2013 versions. Bullion coins come in four sizes with no mint mark. Proofs come in four sizes with mirror fields, frosted devices and a mint mark. The burnished coin, one ounce only, has a W mint mark and a satin, matte-looking surface. Both collector types were sold individually boxed with certificates. A 2013 quarter or half ounce with a mirror finish is a proof and among the scarcer coins of the year. A burnished coin and a proof can look similar in a photo, so judge them in hand under a single light.
Quick answers
- How much gold is in a 2013 Gold Eagle?
- Each coin contains its stated weight of pure gold: 1/10 troy ounce in the $5 coin, 1/4 troy ounce in the $10 coin, 1/2 troy ounce in the $25 coin and one troy ounce in the $50 coin. The alloy is 91.67% gold, 3% silver, 5.33% copper.
- How many 2013 Gold Eagles were made?
- 758,500 one ounce bullion coins plus 79,252 collector versions (proof, burnished and special finishes).
- Is the 2013 Gold Eagle worth more than its gold?
- The bullion coin trades close to its metal value plus a dealer premium. Collector versions in their original packaging bring a small premium.
- Is the Gold Eagle legal tender?
- Yes. Each size carries a face value ($5, $10, $25 and $50), but nobody spends them: the gold is worth far more than the face value.
The Gold Eagle in 2013
2013 was a year of strong bullion buying. The one ounce coin sold 758,500, the tenth ounce 555,000 and the quarter ounce 114,500, the highest quarter ounce total since 2000. The half ounce came in at 57,000. Gold fell sharply in the spring of 2013, a drop many buyers treated as a chance to add coins. Total bullion production came to 1,485,000 coins, up from 1,098,000 in 2012.
Collector sales stayed near their 2012 levels. Proofs came to 21,742 tenth ounce, 12,789 quarter ounce, 12,718 half ounce and 24,710 one ounce, while the burnished one ounce sold 7,293. The gap between bullion and collector coins was now huge, with more than a hundred one ounce bullion coins sold for every burnished one. That imbalance is why a 2013 coin from a family collection is very likely bullion. Still, the collector versions are worth recognizing, because they carry most of the year's premiums. Proof totals, at 71,959, were almost the same as 2012's 70,954.
2013 Gold Eagle by the numbers
The Mint sold 758,500 one ounce bullion Gold Eagles dated 2013. That ranks 28th lowest of the 39 bullion dates from 1986 to 2024.
Against the dates around it, 2013 bullion sales were 1.1 times the 2012 figure and 1.8 times the 2014 figure.
Collector versions dated 2013 add up to 79,252 coins across 5 versions. The scarcest is the 2013-W 1 oz uncirculated (burnished) at 7,293; the most plentiful is the 2013 1 oz proof at 24,710.
Fractional bullion that year: 555,000 1/10 oz coins, 114,500 1/4 oz coins and 57,000 1/2 oz coins. The 1/2 oz is the scarce size of the year.
What to check on yours
- Weigh and measure it. A genuine one ounce Gold Eagle weighs 33.931 g and measures 32.7 mm; the fractional sizes are 3.393 g (1/10 oz), 8.483 g (1/4 oz) and 16.965 g (1/2 oz). Fakes are usually the wrong weight or the wrong thickness.
- Try a magnet. Gold is not magnetic, so a coin that sticks is not genuine. A coin that does not stick still needs the other checks.
- Look for the mint mark. Bullion strikes have none; proofs and burnished coins carry a small letter. A mirror field with frosted design means a proof, a soft satin look means burnished.
- Handle it by the edge and never clean it. Fingerprints, wiping and polishing leave marks that cost collector versions much of their premium.
- Keep the original capsule, box and certificate with collector versions. Coins that come with them are easier to sell and more likely to bring their full premium.
The burnished one ounce at 7,293 is the scarcest 2013 Gold Eagle, with a collector premium over metal value. The half ounce proof at 12,718 and the quarter ounce proof at 12,789 are next and also carry a collector premium. The tenth and one ounce proofs bring a small premium. Bullion coins of all sizes trade close to metal value. Burnished and proof coins with their original boxes and certificates sell more easily than loose coins. Cleaning removes most of that premium on either finish. Handle by the edge.
One ounce burnished coins and shrinking proofs (2011 to 2020)
When the burnished W coin returned in 2011 it came in the one ounce size only, with 8,729 struck. Every year since has followed the same pattern. Through 2020 the burnished mintage stayed between 5,800 and 8,729, low enough that each of these coins carries a collector premium over metal value.
Proof sales fell sharply over the decade. The quarter and half ounce proofs, which sold more than 40,000 each in 2010, dropped to between about 12,700 and 15,800 from 2012 to 2015. In 2018 and 2019 the half ounce proof slipped below 10,000, with 9,961 and 9,454 struck. The 2017 one ounce proof managed just 9,245. For collectors this is the period when ordinary proofs started to become genuinely scarce.
Bullion demand swung with the gold market. One ounce sales ran from 857,000 in 2011 down to 108,000 in 2019, the lowest one ounce bullion figure of any year from 1986 to 2024. In 2020 the pandemic sent buyers back to physical gold and one ounce sales jumped to 747,500. The same year the Mint issued a one ounce proof with a V75 privy mark for the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Only 1,939 were sold, the lowest figure of any Gold Eagle from 1986 to 2024. For most finders, the bullion coins of this decade trade on their gold. The burnished and low mintage proof coins are where the premiums are.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Program | American Gold Eagle |
|---|---|
| Issuer | United States Mint |
| Metal | 22 karat gold (91.67%) |
| Alloy | 91.67% gold, 3% silver, 5.33% copper |
| Sizes | 1/10 oz ($5, 3.393 g, 16.5 mm); 1/4 oz ($10, 8.483 g, 22 mm); 1/2 oz ($25, 16.965 g, 27 mm); 1 oz ($50, 33.931 g, 32.7 mm) |
| Edge | Reeded |
| One ounce coin | 33.931 g, 32.7 mm |
Frequently asked questions
What is the scarcest 2013 Gold Eagle?
The one ounce burnished W coin, with 7,293 struck. The half ounce proof at 12,718 is the scarcest of the proofs. Each carries a collector premium over its gold content. The bullion coins are common.
How many 2013 one ounce bullion Gold Eagles were sold?
758,500. That's a large number, so the bullion coin trades close to metal value. The one ounce proof, at 24,710, is far scarcer. It carries a small premium in its box.
Mintages: American Gold Eagle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint figures. How we build these pages.